Benedict Cumberbatch Had a Secret Second Role in ‘Doctor Strange’

Reptilian thespian Benedict Cumberbatch scored a true box-office smash this past weekend as the headliner of Doctor Strange, a long-time-coming solo film for one of Marvel Comics’ most outré heroes. In addition to the distinction of being the first performer in the history of cinema to successfully pull off a cape-and-goatee combo, Cumberbatch proved his bona fides as an honest-to-god movie star with this pivotal role. But a new piece from IGN today reveals that in addition to the Sorcerer Supreme, Cumberbatch also played a second, uncredited role in the Doctor Strange production. (Here be SPOILERS. Continue at your own risk.)

Mads Mikkelsen’s Kaecilius gives the film its primary antagonist, but once he sets his plan in motion, it turns out that the real Big Bad is the evil god Dormammu. Half Satan and half Hitler, the tyrannical ruler of the dark dimension was most frequently depicted in the comics as a humanoid figure with a head made out of fire, but the film goes the Galactus route and reimagines Dormammu as a gargantuan, rippling, color-changing disembodied face. The sharp-eyed folks at IGN noticed that there’s no actor credited as Dormammu in the end roll, and asked director Scott Derrickson who played the part.

“The voice was a British actor whose name I don’t know,” Derrickson told IGN, “and Benedict – Benedict did the facial capture for it.”

There you have it — Cumberbatch pulled double duty on set, putting the distinctly inhuman qualities of his facial makeup to good use as the foundation for an amorphous demon-king. (Or as they call it in the biz, "typecasting." Ayooo!)